When I came to Yellowstone, I fell instantly, madly, irreparably in love with the wolves.
At first, the wolves were just fascinating, beautiful, wild and free animals, and through my star-struck eyes I saw them as perfect beings living an honest, straight-forward life, free from social constraints.
But, as time went on I began to see the wolves in a more realistic, appropriate manner. They were not perfect, nothing is – no wolf and no human. And, in a way, wolves are dishonest as they will do anything to survive and that includes tricking their prey. But, somehow, the wolves honesty/dishonesty felt more honest to me than the human games we see. I believe, but am not certain, that this was because trying to survive is an honest endeavor, while when humans are hurting one another for grins, giggles isn’t about survival at all, it is just about being mean. If anyone would care to debate this with me, or simply share their thoughts, I would love to hear as this is a topic I have struggled with for more than a decade.
One thing is that wolves have limited resources and when they make kills there is nothing more honest than a hundred pound animal killing a 1500 pound animal with sharp hooves, speed and horns, with nothing but their teeth. Man has so many options for making their kills, and they rarely include only their own speed and endurance, using just the resources of their body. Man is so far from fair chase, where wolves have developed natural skills and instincts – no bullets or arrows – to survive.
Anyway, as I debated within myself, why I loved the wolves so deeply, it was a relief to see them as natural predators that contribute greatly to the ecosystem. History has shown that left unchecked, ungulate populations will grow out of control and the resources of the earth will not be able to sustain them, and the ecosystem will begin to deteriorate. Large herds invite disease. Unpredictable weather patterns means there are years of drought and little food, or harsh winters that the weak animals can not survive. Overgrazing will lead to the breaking down of our creeks and rivers, causing the water to spread beyond previous banks and more shallow. And, it will eliminate habitat and food needed by the bees, birds, rodents and other animals, to survive. The loss of bees would have devastating impacts on humans. And, wolves are good about culling sick and injured animals which will help control disease. There is a lot to like about wolves being here.
But, wolves have their detractors and they are some of the meanest people I have ever encountered, spreading lie after lie, year after year. It doesn’t matter to these humans that elk numbers have been growing for years now, they will still tell you, while watching a herd of 200 elk, that the big ungulates are all gone. They get mad at the wolves for killing the elk because they want to kill the animals themselves. And, there are the claims that the wolves have decimated cattle, and livestock in general, despite the wolf/cow kills being very low. These people are fear mongering and they are loud. “SSS” they write on our Facebook walls everyday, “shoot, shovel and shut up. They threaten to go out and kill the wolves and they just keep lying to whoever will listen. There is no regard to science, it is all fear and disinformation based. Unfortunately, we have some pretty stupid politicians these days who get caught up in these scams and don’t bother to check facts.
The wolf hatred has eaten away at me over the years. I can’t stand the lying and want to set them straight. And, I don’t understand why humans are so selfish that they can not learn to coexist. We have ranchers who expect the federal government to protect their livestock and won’t lift a finger themselves to mitigate damages. I, personally, have a difficult time respecting those who refuse to take responsibility and coexist with animals that are vital to the ecosystem. After all, their coexistence means that the earth can be a healthier place and that is worth a little inconvenience.
For more than ten years, my love for wolves was my greatest passion. It never failed that when I spotted a wolf, people would see (and hear) me jumping up and down and excitedly saying, “THERE IS A WOLF!). I would lose my mind. There is something special about being in a place the minute any wild animal suddenly appears but for me, the wolf, being so independent and unpredictable, was super special.
But, I don’t like wolves today like I once did and that is a sad reality. The wolves had nothing to do with my change in emotions and I will still speak up to protect them. No, it was the human drama that ate away at a love that was once so pure and young at heart. The one side, the wolf haters, spreading their lies and delighting in killing our wolves – particularly the ones we know well. The Cody Roberts of the world that don’t see wild animals as feeling, intelligent beings that are raising families and trying to survive just like we are. Roberts did not understand that the wolf he brought into the bar that night had feelings, fear and confusion. He thought of the wolf as a thing, obviously, given his callous actions. Tormenting an animal before killing it is one of the most disrespectful things a human can do and Roberts would never be considered an ethical hunter.
The other side of the human/wolf dysfunction is some of the crazy people who love the wolves. Some of these folks believe the animals belong to them and they try to control other humans – keep them from seeing the animals, constantly making false complaints about national park visitors, and just plain causing drama. Everything is proprietary and secret. Right up to parking spaces in the park. I’ve never seen or experienced so much ugliness and dishonesty in my life coming from people who supposedly loved wolves. I eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn’t love but power and control that motivated many of these individuals. Whatever the reason, they can be very destructive. And, then there are the wolf advocates that call up Cody Roberts and threaten to kill him and his family. Threatening someone who has shown a willingness to kill wolves only gets more wolves killed. Many advocates don’t take the time to learn the truths about the wolves and their love is emotion, not fact based. Emotional arguments tend to anger the other side more. And, neither side will talk to one another. There are good people on all sides of this thing and most often people are jumping to conclusions, rather than asking questions so that they could better understand where another person is coming from. In their minds their conclusions become fact and resentment builds.
It is like no one really wants to get along and find solutions, but would rather have drama and controversy which, they think elevates them as humans. Little do they know that it eats away at them, their hate does, and clouds their lives. Coexistence with wolves and other animals means communication and it takes work. Why are we not willing to do this?
Anyway, back to this image. I went out to Lamar Valley in the dark of night and set up my camera gear with a microphone so I could capture the sound of the wolves howling. The wolves were howling all around me. And, it was so incredibly beautiful out there with the landscape lit by the moon. It was cold too! This is where my love for wolves and my fascination with them – my wanting to know all about them – would lead me. Places and moments I never knew existed.
Check out this video of a Lamar Canyon wolf howling, taken many years ago, on one of the darkest days of my loving wolves. Having the ability to experience something so beautiful and magical should never be dark.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icDObrsrNr4
